340 
EDITORIAL. 
Unfortunately there appear to be people in this country who consider it their 
mission to fight against the suppression of plcuro-pneumonia; who are so anxious 
to secure the preservation of this plague among our cattle that they have adopted 
the most disreputable methods of warfare in its favor. Misrepresentation and 
denial of well-attested facts, and the abuse of every one connected with the ser¬ 
vice, has been carried to such an extent and repeated so often that many of our 
farmers have been persuaded that a great fraud is being practiced upon them, and 
that no contagious pleuro-pneumonia exists in the country. Instead of recogniz¬ 
ing the Bureau of Animal Industry as a friend, established at the request of stock- 
owners and for their benefit, such people have come to look upon it as an enemy 
preying upon their property. Nor can we forget that the agricultural editors of 
some of our great weekly newspapers, and the writers for some of our distinctly 
agricultural journals, are so blinded by jealousy, prejudice, and ignorance that 
week after week their columns are loaded with matter designed to obstruct this 
work undertaken for the benefit of the very class of our people with which they 
pretend to be in sympathy. 
These facts must be borne in mind and this influence must be counteracted 
by those intelligent stockmen and writers who know the truth. The sympathy 
and support of our farmers are essential to the success of this work ; but those of 
us who are engaged in hunting out this disease and in devising measures for hem¬ 
ming it in, and then stamping it out, have no time to explain the truth or deny 
the falsehoods. 
No one expected that the present appropriation would be sufficient to eradi¬ 
cate pleuro-pneumonia from this country. A great deal has been done, however, 
and very much more will be accomplished before the end of the year. But the 
work must not stop with this year if success is to be attained. The worst infected 
center, and that the most difficult to deal with, is yet to be attacked. If the 
plague is entirely eradicated in two years or even three it will be better work 
than any other country can show. 
Our beginning has been most promising, but the friends of this work should 
not forget that the needed amendments to the animal-industry law failed to pass 
at the last session of Congress, nor should they forget the opposition in that body 
engendered by the distorted statements and other influences of those who have 
fought pleuro-pneumonia legislation from the time it was first suggested. These 
amendments are needed this winter, as is also the authority to continue the work 
of extirpation during the next fiscal year. With the assistance of those who are 
most interested, namely, the farmers and cattlemen of the United States, there 
will be no difficulty in obtaining from Congress any necessary legislation; but if 
the stock-owners do not make their desires known to their representatives Con¬ 
gress can hardly be blamed for neglecting even this important question. 
Washington, D. C. D. E. Salmon. 
False Feathers. —It is only within a comparatively recent 
period that the qualifications of persons alleging themselves to be 
competent to practice veterinary science were subjected to any¬ 
thing like a critical scrutiny on the part of the public. This 
